Chancellor Warhol

Article by: Jason O’Toole

Posted: 09/06/2011

“I said the king’s in the building.” Chancellor Warhol paints a new work of art from his musical palette with the release of The Silver Factory. Following the echoes of his Bonnaroo performance this summer, this one-part music artist, one-part fashion designer goes in with this darker and more synth-savvy sophomore album.

Reminiscent of the original Warhol, Chancellor plays on the urbanity of mass production, silk screening his flow over 13 different tracks. The culture aficionado comes out much more aggressively than on his debut album, Japanese Lunchbox: A Love Story. This album seems, at times, a bit more personal, as if Warhol has something very specific he is trying to prove.

Sonically, the album teeters from futuristic synth into rock and some trance. Still, tracks like “Weapon” and “Kings And Queens” are more form-fitted to the stadium anthemia matching today’s other hip-hop moguls.

Lyrically, the rapper seems to still be curating his sound, borrowing from the double entendre of Lil’ Wayne and punch line lyrics of Jay-Z & Kanye. Nonetheless, Warhol shows he can keep up with the quills of the biggest rappers today.

“Elvis,” the first single off the album, is a solid representation of both lyrical and sonic influence the album carries. Warhol makes several bold proclamations of power in it, reminiscent of the original ‘Tennessee King.’

Endearment comes in Warhol’s home stretch of the album with songs “Obsessed” and “Wings.”

Speaking candidly on his idea of love, “I still fall in love, though it’s love that I fear,” he remarks.

Something the otherwise overly confident rapper disguises in other songs, these songs reveal truth that lies a little deeper in the life of a man making it in the world of rap today.

It’s really a different type of album and very unique that Warhol welcomes so many different artists on the album. His ability to choose which vocalists sing which hook really help to keep the album’s color from running dry.

The Silver Factory ends with the haunting beauty that is “Burn All The Money.” A chilling musical hook featuring Warhol’s chorus veteran Boss of Nova and Particle Peeple.

Overall, Warhol is an energizing force in the booth, and is certainly a joy to witness live. He is an artist that is steadily growing into his own sound, blending the genres that have inspired him to help define who he is as an artist. With a little help from his friends, Warhol’s The Silver Factory is a great step forward into the glossy aesthetics of his urban art form.